If Tolkien wrote Narnia & Lewis Wrote LotR
by Gandalf's Beard
Summary: What if JRR Tolkien wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, and CS Lewis wrote Lord of the Rings? A passage from each series has been Tolkienized or Lewisized in a fan-fic challenge. What follows is the amusing result.
1. Chapter 1

The following is the result of a Fan-Fic challenge on another forum. I was tasked with converting a passage from one of CS Lewis's Narnia series into Tolkien's style from _Lord of the Rings. _And my challenger was to convert a passage from _Lord of the Rings_ into the style of CS Lewis as he wrote Narnia.

**First up is my Tokienized passage from The Horse and His Boy:**

"But, shall not Corin be High Lord and King, Father?" asked Cor.  
"Nay, my son," responded King Lune, " You are my heir, and the throne of Anvard and all the lands of Archen shall be your noble obligation."  
"But I do not desire it, my Liege and Father. I would prefer-"  
"'Tis no question of your desire, my son, nor of my own. It is a matter of law."  
"Surely, Sire, we are twins. Do we not share the same number of years?"  
"Nay," laughed the High Lord of Archenland, "One must be first-born. You are the elder son by twenty minutes. And the most worthy by all reckoning, though that is no great task." And King Lune cast his eyes upon Corin. The lines of the King's years softened and his eyes gleamed with mirth.  
"Can nothing be done whatsoever? Can you not, as High King, choose your heir?"  
"No. The heir is not chosen by whim, but by law. A King has no power, unless bestowed by law. And no right to refuse the duty of his station."  
"If the law requires it, then, my Liege, I shall fulfill my birth-right." The new High Prince turned to his brother, his face anguished and stricken.  
"Brother...Corin...I beg your forgiveness. In all my dreams, never did I believe I would upset your rightful position as heir to the throne of Anvard and the Lands of Archen."  
An unexpected smile crossed Corin's lips.  
"Do not fear my brother. I had no desire for the crown nor for the kingdom itself. I chafed under the burden that power thrust upon me. For a Prince Eternal now shall I be, with all the benefits of royal lineage and little of it's obligations."

And now the original passage for comparison:

**From The Horse and His Boy**  
**Lewis wrote:**

"But Corin will be the King then, Father," said Cor.  
"Nay, lad," said King Lune, "thou art my heir. The crown comes to thee."  
"But I don't want it," said Cor. "I'd far rather-"  
"'Tis no question what thou wantest, Cor, nor I either. Tis in course of law."  
"But if we're twins we must be the same age."  
"Nay," said the King with a laugh,"One must come first. Art Corin's elder by full twenty minutes. And his better too, let's hope, though that is no great mastery." And he looked at Corin with a twinkle in his eyes.  
"But, Father, couldn't you make whichever you like to be the next King?"  
"No. The King's under the law, for it's the law makes him King. Hast no more power to start away from thy crown than a sentry from his post."  
"Oh dear," said Cor. "I don't want to at all. And Corin-I'm most dreadfully sorry. I never dreamed my turning up was going to chisel you out of your kingdom."  
"Hurrah! Hurrah!" said Corin. "I shan't have to be King. I shan't have to be King. I'll always be a prince. It's princes have all the fun."

I chose this scene because this one in particular struck me as amusingly anachronistic, as Cor and Corin are speaking in a modern English School-boy vernacular (at least as spoken in the mid 20th century). I thought it would be interesting to hear it in the more serious High English style that Tolkien wrote LotR in.

Next chapter I will post my challenger's Lewisization of a passage from LotR. I have his permission to post it on other forums, as long as he is fairly attributed.

I think we both did rather well. I was surprised at how accurately and brilliantly my challenger mimicked Lewis's style. We would both welcome reviews, which I will pass along to him.


	2. Chapter 2

And now, as promised, my challenger's Lewisized version of a rather famous scene from _Lord of the Rings_.

**The Bridge of Khazad Dum-CS Lewisized;**

A swarm of orcs flew towards the Fellowship, of such kinds and descriptions that were I to describe even a few your parents would not let you read this book. Then, suddenly, one could see a large shadow, coming up through the orcs. And if you looked closely enough you could even see that the orcs themselves were a little frightened. Boromir blew his horn loud and true until the orcs stopped in their place and the Fellowship saw that even the large shadow hesitated.

"All of you must get over the bridge! Quickly, now", commanded Gandalf, lifting himself a little higher. "You must run, for only I can fight an enemy of this power!" Aragorn and Boromir didn't respond quite at first, still stubbornly standing next to Gandalf. The small Hobbits gathered in the doorway at the other end of the hallway to see what would happen next and what Gandalf would do.

The Balrog put one foot on the bridge while Gandalf stood in the centre, his staff helping him to keep his balance. In his hand the magic sword Glamdring glowed brightly. Then suddenly the Balrog stopped. All of the sudden the shadow unfolded even larger. Have you ever seen how an umbrella pops open on a rainy day? It was like this now, and the Balrog's shadow moved out from its sides and fell upon the walls. And there it was, larger than anything any of them had ever seen before. In it's hand it held a fiery whip, which it swung around menacingly while it looked at Gandalf.

"I will not let you pass!", Gandalf shouted. The orcs had stopped moving, watching what their massive leader's next move would be. Gandalf spoke again. "I will not let you pass! I am the holder of the knowledge of the Secret Fire, wielder of the magical fire of Anor. Your weapons cannot hurt me, monster of Udun. Go back from where you came, but you will not pass me here!"

And now, the original for comparison:

**The Bridge of Khazad-dum as Tolkien wrote it:**

The dark figure streaming with fire raced towards them. The orcs yelled and poured over the stone gangways. Then Boromir raised his horn and blew. Loud the challenge rang and bellowed, like the shout of many throats under the cavernous roof. For a moment the orcs quailed and the fiery shadow halted. Then the echoes died as suddenly as a flame blown out by a dark wind, and the enemy advanced again.

"Over the bridge!" cried Gandalf, recalling his strength. "Fly! This is a foe beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way. Fly!" Aragorn and Boromir did not heed the command, but still held their ground, side by side at the far end of the bridge. The others halted just within the doorway at the hall's end, and turned, unable to leave their leader to face the enemy alone.

The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the span, leaning on the staff in his left hand, but in his other hand Glamdring gleamed, cold and white. His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and the thongs whined and cracked. Fire came from its nostrils. But Gandalf stood firm.  
"You cannot pass," he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass."

**Shadowlander **(my challenger's username) and I had a lot of fun with this. We both agreed that it was a tie. But I think his effort is hilariously on target.

Please review our efforts.


End file.
